The Age of Ambition
by QueenReedus
Summary: Hana-Hesperia Potter may have been left orphaned when she was one year old, but that hasn't stopped her from aiming to make her parents, specifically her father proud. A punk rock female Harry that has a penchant for being mysterious, mischievous and causing trouble. Let those who underestimated her tremble beneath her ambition for all that is great. Fem!Harry. Female Harry.
1. The Prologue

The room was dusty and dark, barely any light was available, and the little that was there seeped in from underneath the door. The room housed many toys, possibly hundreds. The one thing they all had in common, was that they were in some way broken or ruined. From the guitar that pitifully lent up against the wall with frayed and broken strings, to the headless toys and teddy bears piled up on an overflowing shelf. The room was the perfect picture of a graveyard for toys.

At first, there was no life to be seen in the room, just a barren and dark storage room. And yet, a quiet, almost muffled whispering could be heard from the corner, where a mattress lay upon the floor with a raggedy blanket on top. A small, almost wisp of a girl was huddled into the corner, the blanket draped over her form. A vain attempt at keeping out the cold. Her body was racked with raging shivers, and she looked like her whole body would break into two if they continued. Teeth chattered harshly as she valiantly carried on reading from a small and faded book that she clutched tightly between both hands. Her eyes squinted down at the coloured and aged pages, the miniscule amount of light doing nothing to aid her.

Her knees were drawn up towards her chest, and attempt at keeping out the chill that filled the room. A flash of light from outside illuminated her face, catching onto her eerie green eyes, almost like emeralds. They showed pain and sadness as clear as ones reflection in a mirror that had just been polished to perfection. Her wild mane of black curls, waves and ringlets were snarled and knotted, matted to her head. They had clearly not been washed or brushed for some time. Her clothes were tattered, holy and clearly second or third hand. A pair of black leggings, with white paint stains and torn up knees along with an old and ratty band top, it was black with a blue design of a baby swimming, and originally designed to be oversized, but on her it swamped her whole body.

She had found clothes in a nearby charity shop, and the woman who volunteered inside had clearly taken pity upon the young girl who had stood before her in boys clothing over three sizes too big, and had let her take them and a few other pieces for free. In return, the young girl helped out in the shop with tagging items upstairs and sorting them into piles once a week for a few hours. The situation benefited the both of them in some way. The lady, Delia had a little helper, and the small girl had an escape from her home, and therefore her family. It suited the pair of them.

The girl shifted, sucking in a deep breath as she accidently hit the wall. It created a quiet, almost unnoticeable thumping noise. When she noticed that nothing had happened afterwards, she released her breath and continued to move until her legs were crossed and her book was resting in her lap. A slender finger reached out and quietly flicked the page over, revealing another page of writing, unlike the typed font of most books, this was clearly handwritten. The sharp and clearly practiced handwriting was emphasised with small ink blots across the page. But it wasn't the subject matter that had drawn the young girl to this specific book. Transfiguration, a type of magic which involved turning one thing into something else, from what she had grasped. No, it had been the name that had enticed her into opening the book and delving into the handwritten notes and plans. The name that had been carefully printed on the first page of the book, underneath the word Diary, which had been crossed out and renamed 'Transfiguration Journal' above it.

James Potter.

Her father.

Her father had wrote in this book, he had filled it with his own imaginative and creative ideas and plans, he had recorded a multitude of funny, serious and important experiences that he had gone through. And he had left it to her. The young girl had found it a few years ago, buried deep inside of a trunk in the attic that she had been forced to clean. There were other books to, documenting different lessons that her father had apparently taken when he had gone to school. A place named Hogwarts. She wasn't too sure if the whole thing was real or made up. But either way, the fact that her father had made sure that she had something to document her parents meant the world to her. To go with the Transfiguration book, there was also a Defence, Charms, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures book. That was the one that clued her into the whole magic aspect. Lastly, was a small tattered guide that had clearly been annotated over multiple times and treasured above all others. Quidditch through the Ages. She hadn't know what Quidditch even meant before she had read it, that hadn't been taught at her school. But it had fascinated her.

To compliment the books that had been left to her by her father, which while containing interesting and useful notes, was mainly filled with humorous stories and ideas for pranks and practical jokes, was another set of books. These had clearly been cared for in comparison to her fathers, as they barely looked like they had aged. While her fathers had all been handwritten and his own, these were actual text books that had been annotated on with helpful, informative and academic notes. These were her mothers. Lillian Evans had been clearly written in the top left hand corner of each book, and there were more of them then her fathers. Astronomy, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. The handwriting was more delicate, curved and feminine. Tiny doodles had been made throughout the book, enough to let her know that her mother hadn't harboured any artistic abilities unlike her father. Her father could clearly draw. In fact, he clearly took any opportunity to do so that was presented to him. Inside of the Transfiguration Journal there was a beautiful drawing on the page adjacent to his last entry. It was a ghostly looking stag. It stood tall and proud looking almost ethereal. It was stunning. Underneath was just one word, written in her father's neatest handwriting, _Prongs_.

The last entry was a letter. A letter that had been clearly written with his daughter in mind. While there were few ink splodges on this entry, there were areas where the pages were almost wrinkled, and the ink had bled slightly. Almost as if her father had been crying when he had sat down to write it. To her, it made it mean more to her, it was more sentimental. She had first read that entry when she was seven years old. And now, just minutes away from her eleventh birthday, she read them again. Stroking her fingers over the pages as she whispered the words that she had long since committed to her memory.

 _My dearest and most precious Ria,_

 _I always knew that I would have children, it was what was expected of me from such a young age, to carry on the Potter name and to bring_ _pride to the Potter name as my ancestors did before me. But I always expected that my children would be boys that I would have little mini me's running all around the house, and later Hogwarts, wreaking havoc and causing trouble as often as possible. But when you were born, it wasn't what I had expected, Potters always had sons first, so I already knew that you were special before anyone else. But know that I've never regretted you._

 _Baby star, you are more than I had ever expected and wished for, and I love you so much more than you could ever believe. I hope that I will have all the time in the world to show you just how much I love and cherish you. In fact, if I get one wish, it would be to see you grow up from my beautiful little baby girl into a wonderful young woman. But even if I don't get that chance, then I want you to know that I am so proud of you already, and I'll always be proud of you no matter what. Even if you're sorted into Slytherin when you get to Hogwarts I will love you more than anything, because I know how special you are baby star. You deserve the world sweetheart, and I'm going to try and give you it, even if your mummy says that you'll turn out spoilt._

 _I want you to know baby star, that I will always love you, no matter what. You will always be the brightest shining star in my world and no matter what happens, I will always be there for you. Whether it is in person as your guide and teacher on how the world works, or even from somewhere else. If I can't be with you physically, know that I will always be there in your heart darling, and you will always be in mine._

 _I don't want to leave you baby star, I want you to know that more than anything. Bad things have been happening in our world baby, and daddy has to help to try and fix it. I'm going to try with everything I have to stay with you baby star, but, if I can't and have to leave you, know that I never wanted to. Know that you are always in my thoughts and I'm fighting to come home to you every time that I have to leave. I want you to know that I'm fighting for you to have a better future and the best life possible. You are my reason for fighting baby star._

 _Mummy and daddy love you so much baby girl, and I hope that no matter what happens to me, you will get the life you deserve. One filled with joy and happiness, the best life possible. Because baby star, you deserve it more than anyone else in the world. Daddy has to go now, but I will always be there with you, in your heart. If you ever feel lonely, look up at the stars and know that daddy is up there, watching over you and making sure that you're safe._

 _I love you so much Hana-Hesperia Lilliana Potter, and I always will, no matter what. Aim for the moon baby, because you deserve the best. Soar above everyone, and strive for your dreams._

 _I love you baby star, my sweetest Ria._

 _Lord James Fleamont Potter,_

 _Your biggest fan,_

 _Your Daddy_

 _X_

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she silently cried, reading the last few words she clutched the book to her chest, pretending that it was her father, her daddy that she was holding close to her, and not a book. She couldn't work out how he could be proud of her. She was nothing, a freak. Even if magic was real, like her mum and dad had learnt, she clearly wasn't good enough to live in their world. Why else would she be left with Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley? Her family that didn't tolerate anything being different, and they couldn't stand her. They didn't even call her by her name, it was always just Girl. She was always teased for her name, but she bet her daddy had been teased for his middle name too. But he was probably big enough that no one hurt him like they did to her. And she bet her mummy was never teased either, they were probably really strong and smart.

She knew they were Head Girl and Head Boy, there was a photo of them in their uniform inside of her dad's book, tucked behind the letter he had written specially for her. Her father was tall, and kind of skinny, but he had some muscles she supposed. He had hair like her, or she had hair like him. It was black and unruly, ruffled and poking out in all directions. His eyes were hazel, they had little bits of green mixed in with the brown, and he wore glasses. He had his Head Boy badge pinned to his jumper along with another badge that had a big golden C and the word Captain underneath, his Quidditch Captain badge. Her mother stood next to him smiling and looking smart. Lilly Evans was beautiful. She had flaming red hair, it was mainly straight, but it had a slight wave to it as it flowed down her back and to her waist. Her eyes were a bright and vibrant shade of green and the light makeup she wore emphasised this, making them stand out even more. Her mother had a curvy figure, and was rather tall, she was only slightly shorter than James, who had hooked an arm around her waist as they both smiled at the camera. They wore matching ties in shades of red and gold, and held sticks, wands, in their hands.

Ria couldn't help looking at the picture and running her fingers over it every now and then. It was the only photograph she owned of her parents, and she treasured it above everything else. She had made sure that the Dursley's, her 'family' didn't know about all of the books that her parents had left to her. She had brought the trunk down from the attic when they had gone out for a family trip and had left her at home to clean. She had gently pushed the trunk from the attic, causing it to fall through the hatch and onto her mattress that she had placed underneath. She had dragged them back into her bedroom and had hidden the trunk in the small cupboard that served as a wardrobe in her room. She refused to let her precious belongings be taken from her, especially ones that had once belonged to her parents.

Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like if her parents hadn't died, would she have been brought up knowing all about magic, learning about it from a young age. Would she have been taught how to play Quidditch by her father? Would they have played with her and made sure she never felt lonely, and most of all, would they have been like a proper family. Would they have had another baby, so that she could have a sibling of her own to love and care for? She thought that they would have, that they would have been the best family possible.

She knew from her dad's books that he had received his letter of acceptance for Hogwarts when he was eleven, he had received it on his birthday in fact. It had been brought to him by an owl from the school and he had been asked to attend Hogwarts for seven years so that he could learn how to use and master his magic. So that was what Ria had to do. She had to wait for the morning, when a beautiful owl would fly through the window and bring her a letter that would allow her to be whisked away from the Dursley's.

She could wait until then, and she would make sure that she made the owl some bacon too, it was a long journey from Scotland to Surrey, and the owl would be hungry. It wouldn't be much longer now, until she would be free from her family, only to return in the summer for a few weeks, surely they wouldn't turn down the opportunity to be rid of her for most of the year, they usually complained about her taking up too much room so it was the best thing for them both.

She gently closed the book and placed it beneath the thin and threadbare pillow at one end of the mattress before curling up under her blanket. Hana-Hesperia Potter would be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in September, and there was nothing that the Dursley's could do about it. And while she doubted her ability to get into Gryffindor like her parents, she knew her father would be proud of her no matter where she was placed, and that was all that mattered.

She would make sure that her parents were proud of her no matter what, she would be a Quidditch Captain just like her dad had always hoped and she'd make sure that she was a Prefect and even Head Girl. She was going to ensure that her parents would have nothing to be disappointed about, because she was going to do whatever it took to be what they had dreamed for. First of all, she would have to find out what had actually been the cause of her parents death, because she knew that they hadn't died in a car crash, they would have been able to save themselves with their magic. She would then have to find out why she had been placed with the Dursley's of all people, they hated the idea of being different, and she was terrified of what would happen to her if she even mentioned the word magic in front of them. Nothing good she could guess.

None of that mattered anymore though, because soon she would be learning magic with other young witches and wizards, and there had to be some that had been brought up not knowing about magic. Either way, they would all be the same age, and she doubted that children were allowed to go around cursing each other before even going to school, so they would all be on the same level. She had a chance to rise to the top and prove to everyone that her parents were and still are proud of her, even if they aren't alive anymore. She could do it. And no one could stop her.

* * *

Tada! So this is what you have all been waiting for, and I'm so sorry for the wait. It's been just over a year since I posted this and I hope you all will continue to stick with me through this story. I won't lie, I lost all inspiration for this story until yesterday when I watched Fantastic Beasts and was spurred on with so much inspiration! It is a brilliant film and for anyone who hasn't watched it, I urge you to go and see it! I hope this matches up with your expectations, feel free to let me know if it doesn't, and don't forget I still have that poll up for who to pair Hana-Hesperia with, the votes are as followed:

Sirius Black – 6

Bill Weasley – 4

Charlie Weasley – 3

George Weasley – 3

Blaise Zabini – 3

Theodore Nott – 2

Seamus Finnegan – 2

Fred Weasley – 1

Lastly, I am debating on my decision to put Hana Hesperia in Gryffindor. At the moment I'm obviously thinking of either Slytherin or actually Ravenclaw, but I haven't decided. So feel free to review with your opinion so that I can start on the next chapter!

Hana-Hesperia is her full first name, but she will be referred to as either Hesperia or Ria for short as a preference. Other characters may have separate and unrelated nicknames for her too.

NAME MEANINGS:

Hana – Pronounced like Anna in Frozen but with an H. In Japanese it literally means flower, but in Arabic it means bliss or happiness. This kind of fits in with the whole theme of the Evans family naming female children after flowers, but it is more literal. It also fits the idea of naming the child with an H like a lot of people do in fanfics when changing the gender of Harry.

Hesperia - This is a name of Greek origin and means 'evening star' I chose this because, she was bringing light into a dark time with the first defeat of Voldemort. It also as shown in the chapter above, lends a hand towards a really cute nickname from her father. I feel that this would have been picked out by possibly Sirius as his family is known for naming children after constellations.

Lilliana – So this one is pretty obvious, it's derived from the name Lily which is the plant her mother was named after. However, it also means innocence, purity and beauty, which I felt really fit her as a person. Although she strives to make her parents proud, she is still innocent underneath.


	2. The Letter

For the tenth time that morning Ria had turned her gaze to look out of the window, in search of an owl carrying a letter. She hadn't known what type of owl it would be, but she guessed either a Tawny owl or a Snowy owl. They were the only breeds she had heard of and read about in school. Letting out a sigh she turned her eyes back to the stove, flicking over the fat sausages that sizzled in the pan, ensuring that they evenly cooked and didn't burn. She'd catch hell for it if they did. The other pan resting on the hob was filled with bacon slices, and checking to see that they were almost done, Ria placed four slices of bread inside the toaster. Reaching into the highest cupboard, Ria had to stand on her tiptoes to pick up three large plates to serve up the breakfast.

Uncle Vernon and her cousin Dudley would both have large portions. They would scream at her if she even dared to put less than usual on the plate, Dudley, according to her Aunt Petunia, was a growing boy and needed feeding up. According to Ria, her cousin was very, very large. Too large. In fact, he looked like the picture inside of a book she had once read about childhood morbid obesity. They would have a full packet of bacon between them, along with six sausage links each, two fried eggs, multiple slices of toast, hash browns and beans. In comparison her Aunt Petunia would have a single egg, poached, and two pieces of buttered toast.

Ria wasn't allowed to eat with them. She had to cook the breakfast and then serve it to her family, and wait while they ate to see if they needed or wanted anything else. Once they had eaten, Ria would clear the table and eat her own slice of toast in the kitchen before hurrying to wash the dishes before having to prepare for school. In the summer the routine was the same, except instead of going to school she had to complete a long list of chores before helping her aunt to make the dinner.

Ria didn't like to do the chores, mainly because of how tedious they were to complete day in and day out, but it did give her a chance to spend time away from the Dursleys. Her aunt would rarely check in on her, unless she was doing gardening, particularly weeding and pruning. But that was only because she wanted to make it seem like doing the chores was a choice Ria had made to the neighbours. She liked the free time. To Ria, it was time to think about all the possibilities that would come when she got her Hogwarts letter and would finally be leaving the Dursleys for nearly a whole year.

A loud stomping noise that gently shook the house echoed, signifying her cousin Dudley had woke up and was heading down the stairs for food. Quickly buttering the toast and adding more bread into the toaster she plated up the food that could easily feed two or three people, but was in fact just one portion. Placing it at the head of the table, Ria poured a large glass of fresh orange juice that she had been forced to squeeze that morning, and placed it on the table, along with the jug. As she moved back towards the stove to continue cooking Uncle Vernon's food, knowing that he'd make his way downstairs shortly. And sure enough she was correct.

"Comb that hair girl!" Came the same greeting she had received daily for the past few years.

"Yes uncle Vernon," she replied with a slight hint of sarcasm. It was common knowledge that no matter what was done to her hair, no matter how many products used on it or ridiculous haircuts she was given, it still continued to grow outwards and was perpetually messy. Like an untameable force, her hair refused to do as it should, according to the Dursleys. She had no control over it, it was hair. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She had managed to make it all grow back into long locks that one time her aunt had basically sheered it all off. But she had pride! There had been no way she was going to allow the other children in the neighbourhood another reason to pick on and bully her.

"Was that sarcasm girl? You know what happens when you cheek us, especially with how well we've provided for you. And out of our own pockets you ungrateful child." Her uncle had turned red in the face, resembling a beetroot, as he fumed and ranted about Ria and her attitude. She carefully rolled her eyes as she turned away from the family, she knew how much trouble she would get into if they had caught that subtle act of rebellion. They hadn't realised how rebellious Ria could be. To her family, she was too scared of them and the repercussions and the possible punishments that would come from going against their many strict rules. What they didn't know was that she had been doing just that ever since she had found out about the world of magic and her position in that world.

Ria had spent the past few years watching her family closely. She learnt their routines and planned around them. She knew that her aunt would be in bed for exactly ten o'clock each evening, and her uncle would join her after he had watched the evening news, so that he had a chance to complain, and had finished his customary glass of brandy. Then he would lumber up the stairs to join his wife and check in on his son. Ria would wait for a further thirty minutes, to ensure they were actually asleep, before making her move. She would focus her mind completely on her door, waiting for the tell-tale click as it unlocked itself, with help from her magic the door would swing open silently allowing her to escape. She would creep into the kitchen and allow her magic to twist and turn, releasing it into the air. It would pull and tug at the cupboard doors, allowing her to sneak out some of the food that she knew her aunt wouldn't notice going missing. And then she would take it back up to her room, her magic would lock the door behind her to look as if she had never left, and then she would feast on her spoils.

She had been able to do this since she had started to read her father's books, he kept a very detailed journal on how he 'trained' his magic and helped to enhance it. He mentioned how people thought he was a slacker, but she thought he seemed rather powerful, and very interested in utilising his magic and pushing it to find out his limits. Her dad seemed creative about his magic, trying out all sorts of new things and not just sticking to his spell books and the rules inside, but attempting different methods and ways of using his magic. He had continuously mentioned inside of his journals how important 'intent' was when using magic that it basically was the most important thing to learn when it came to magic. If you didn't have any intent when doing something, whether it be casting spells or making potions, then you wouldn't have much success.

In comparison, her mother was the complete opposite of her father. She was very by the book and there were few annotations upon her textbooks, except for explanations of how to pronounce spells correctly, or the exact state a potion should look like at specific points through the process. She seemed to not care to learn more about the possibilities of what would happen if you just slightly changed something in a recipe or in the way you cast a spell.

Her mother was stern and by the books, following in the path laid out before her with no deviations, and her father was creative, carefully careless and forged his own path in life, from what she could tell. In a way, she could tell how opposites would attract. At the same time she couldn't understand how her father wished to be with someone so strict that always followed the rules. Rules were meant to be bent and tested to their limits. You need to find out your own limitations, stretch your boundaries and in the end, work out what kind of person you actually are. And you can't do that if all you do is follow the rules and regulations laid out before you to the exact letter. There had to be some creativity involved in magic, to be able to make your own spells. Yes, intelligence is needed. But a mind filled with creativity and imagination is even more so important. The ability to think for yourself was a key skill that was overlooked by the ability to do as you're told, something that Ria had found she wasn't very good at. She was adventurous, and if the journals her father had kept were anything to go by, she knew who she had got that skill from.

With a sigh, Ria headed towards the door to pick up the post as she heard the clatter of the letterbox. She didn't plan on getting hit with Dudley's long and knobbly walking stick that had been provided as part of his uniform for the private school he'd be going to at the beginning of the academic year, Smelting's. Uncle Vernon had gone there when he was younger, and insisted that Dudley would too. Although Aunt Petunia had been beside herself at the thought of Dudley going to a boarding school and being away from her for the year. But Uncle Vernon had insisted upon it. Ria however would be going to a local secondary school, St. Genevieve's School for Girls. Or that's what the Dursleys thought. Ria had no intention of even stepping foot in that school, she knew her letter was on its way. She just had to be patient.

Scooping up the letters she flicked through them quickly, just to check whether anything would be putting her uncle in a bad mood after. There were two bills, electricity and gas, along with a postcard from the Isle of Wight. That one was clearly from Marge Ria thought with a grimace, she couldn't stand that woman, or her dog Ripper. In some ways, she was crueller than her brother. And lastly, was a thick envelope made of heavy and expensive parchment. Inked in a vibrant emerald green was a very specific address.

 _Ms H. Potter_

 _The Smallest Bedroom_

 _4 Privet Drive_

 _Little Whinging_

 _Surrey_

Ria couldn't believe it. She had spent all morning watching out of the window for an owl like her father had mentioned in one of his journals, only for it to come in the post like normal Muggle post. Then again when she thought about it, an owl flying around Surrey with a letter attached to its leg wasn't very inconspicuous. But she just couldn't believe that was their way of sending her such an important letter. It could have been lost in the Royal Mail service, or sent to the wrong address. Unless the headmaster at Hogwarts sent it directly to the house, which seeing the address would have been pretty obvious a choice.

Turning the envelope over, she had a clear view of the Hogwarts Crest. The same one that her father had drawn in his journal and must have enchanted, because the banner swayed and the little animals moved. The lion for Gryffindor roared and shook its mane. The eagle for Ravenclaw flapped its wings gently while the Hufflepuff badger rose up onto its hind legs before falling back to all fours. And lastly, the snake of Slytherin, it hissed and flicked its forked tongue, curling up into coils before unfurling itself. While the drawing her father had done was in the house colours, this one was a dark shade of red due to the wax it had been stamped in.

She was so excited to open it, but she knew that if the Dursleys noticed even a slight change in her expression or emotions, then they would clock on and start asking questions. She couldn't have that. If they knew, then she would never be able to go to Hogwarts. And the letter not being delivered via owl had disrupted her plans. Originally she was going to send her reply back with original owl that delivered it. But now, she didn't know how she was going to send her reply back.

"Hurry up girl! I need to see those letters before I go to work." Uncle Vernon yelled from the kitchen, she could tell he was getting aggravated, so she hurriedly moved towards the kitchen, slipping the letter under the clock on the mantelpiece that she was to clean off after breakfast had finished.

"This is all of the post Uncle Vernon," she told him calmly, placing it on the table next to his plate before moving back towards the stove at the sharp glare from her aunt. Vernon snorted, picking up the letters and fumbling through them with his large fingers he tossed the bills back on the table and picked up the postcard from his sister, flipping it over to reveal clumsy handwriting.

"Marge is ill, ate a funny whelk." He spoke firmly with a shake of his head. Setting the bills on the countertop he stood and made his way to the front door, kissing Aunt Petunia goodbye and patting Dudley firmly on the shoulder. Petunia followed him to the door, and after Dudley had eaten everything that was edible at the table he stood and lumbered into the living room and Ria could hear the television come on moments later.

Quickly moving forward she began to clean off the table and place the dishes into the sink that she had filled with fresh hot water and washing liquid. She washed the dishes and moved them to rest upright on the draining board before letting the water out and wiping the table clean. She needed to get that letter back and think of a plan to send of her reply to the sender. And she had to open it too. She wondered if there was any differences between her school supply list and the books her father had needed, although the ones she had been left was primarily journals made up of notes from all seven years at Hogwarts. It helped at ensuring she was prepared with at least the basics of all seven years though.

It had also given her a basic understanding as to what her extra ability was. Not all witches and wizards had them, but she did. She could communicate with snakes and other serpent like creatures. She hadn't found out if that meant she would have a basic understanding of dragons too, but she was very eager to find out. She hadn't even seen a snake before, until she had gone to the zoo for Dudley's eleventh birthday because Mrs Figg, from down the road, couldn't look after her due to breaking her leg tripping over one of her cats and then she fell down the stairs.

The snake had been a large and intimidating looking boa constrictor that would have originated from Brazil, if it hadn't been bred in captivity. She had been having a perfectly polite conversation with the snake, who had shared its dreams of visiting Brazil one day and how she was considered a Parselmouth, as she was able to speak Parseltongue. The language of snakes. Apparently it was a rare ability that usually descended from the Slytherin family, a hereditary thing, but did sometimes crop up in other families, usually pureblood ones. It was similar to the Metamorphmagi gene that occasionally cropped up in primarily pureblood and sometimes half-blood families. However it was an extremely rare gift, one that Ria wished she had on multiple occasions.

Either way, she had been having a wonderful conversation with the boa, and then she had been interrupted. Dudley had appeared at the call of his best friend Piers who had accompanied them on the trip to the zoo at Dudley's request. He had knocked into her and sent her flying into the wall, which she promptly smashed her head against by accident. She wasn't exactly sure as to what happened next. All she knew was that the glass disappeared. It didn't shatter or smash, it vanished. The snake had taken the chance to escape from the open tank and made his way out of the reptile house with a message of thanks towards Ria, who lay stunned on the floor.

She knew after that, that there was no way she wouldn't be accepted into Hogwarts. Her ability alone was rare, and vanishing something like a full pane of glass took power, and it wasn't taught until much later in her schooling. And seeing as she had taken part in no formal magical schooling like most purebloods who were taught simple things before they started Hogwarts, it just made it clearer that she held magic that was stronger than expected. Not that she cared. She could learn to coach her magic herself and make it stronger without it being naturally strong. But it did help her. She knew that with the correct methods of training she could surpass expectations and easily be at the same level as purebloods that had already trained and learnt how their magic worked. She wouldn't be behind for much longer. She would push herself. She was determined that she wouldn't be a slacker when she reached Hogwarts, no, she would take her education seriously. But not too seriously. She could still have fun. Just like her father had.

"Girl, why haven't you started cleaning the living room yet?" Petunia called from the room in question, where she was fussing over Dudley, asking him if he was hungry when he had only just finished breakfast. Ria rolled her eyes and picked up the cloth and spray from under the sink and headed into the room, intent on getting her letter out of the room and into her bedroom as inconspicuously as possible.

"I'm coming Aunt Petunia," she sighed and walking into the living room, heading straight for the mantelpiece. Polish in hand she began to clean each individual ornament and vase under the watchful eye of her aunt. After a few minutes of watching, ensuring that Ria didn't break anything and was correctly cleaning, her aunt stood and smoothed out her skirt with a sniff.

"I have to go to the shops to collect some groceries. Dudley, would you like to come? I'll get you some sweets poppet." She coaxed him with her briberies, like usual. Dudley nodded and with a large amount of struggle, managed to get up from the chair and headed off to the hallway to put on some shoes. Petunia followed, but not without giving a Ria a stern warning beforehand.

"I swear, if the house is not spotless when we get back, there will be consequences. I will inform your uncle of your disobedience too. Now get back to work, the place won't clean itself. And don't forget to put the crockery away, it's expensive." She left with a final critical glance at Ria, making sure she understood how severe the situation was before heading out the door after Dudley, the door slamming behind them.

"Yes ma'am," Ria muttered under her breath heading towards the window. Peering out and noticing her aunt and cousin had made it to the bottom of the street, she let out a grin and a whoop of laughter. Heading towards the mantelpiece she picked up the clock and lifted the letter out from underneath, wiping off the dust. She quickly ran back upstairs and placed the letter under her pillow, promising to read it once she had finished her cleaning.

An hour later Ria had ensured the house had been cleaned from top to bottom and was putting the dishes back into the cupboard when the door opened and her aunt and cousin walked in. her aunt was carrying two bags filled with shopping while her cousin clutched onto a bag of sweets and an ice cream that he had probably begged his mum for. Heading towards them, Petunia thrusted the bags into her hands and headed into the living room to rest, Dudley following behind her. Ria didn't even pause as she turned back around and headed into the kitchen, resting the bags on the table she began to put the groceries away and into their correct areas of storage.

Knowing her aunt as well as she did, Ria prepared a pot of tea. Filling a small jug of milk and placing some sugar cubes in a little pot with a miniature pair of tongs, she put them both on a tea tray along with a teacup and saucer and the pot of tea once it had boiled and stewed for a few minutes. Carefully grasping the tray handles Ria made her way into the living room and placed the tray on the small coffee table in front of her aunt who was flicking through some glossy magazines. At her aunts' nod, she poured the tea into the mug and added a dash of milk and a sugar cube before handing the cup and saucer to her aunt along with a teaspoon.

"Aunt Petunia. I've finished the cleaning and put away the groceries. May I go up to my room please?" While most parents would let their children do what they like, Petunia want her parent and she made sure that Ria knew she was different to everyone else. She had to ask to do anything, and that included going to her room. Although most people would of thought that with the way her family hated and resented her, they would have wanted her to spend as much time in her room and as far away from her family as possible. But apparently not.

"Fine. But don't make any noise and you best be down here to help me make lunch and start preparing for dinner at twelve o'clock sharpish." Petunia was clasping her cup in one hand with her little finger pointed out and her other hand held the saucer beneath it. Her lips were pursed as she looked at her niece before going back to the magazine in her lap, clearly dismissing her.

Ria nodded and made her way out of the room and up the stairs quietly, she didn't want to seem excited and bring any unneeded attention to herself. She needed to get to her room and read the letter that had been waiting for her all morning. It was finally her time to escape the Dursleys and their hellish lifestyle. Shutting the door behind her Ria threw herself onto the mattress and the faded discoloured blanket. Reaching a hand under the pillow she grasped the heavy letter and pulled it out from its hiding place.

Breathing deeply, she reaches out with trembling fingers and pulls the envelope open. Tugging out the multiple pages of thick cream parchment with the same emerald green ink used. The handwriting was neat and feminine, as shown by the signature at the bottom. Ria was so happy. Smoothing out the two pages she read them slowly, even though she knew what they were going to say in the end. It was still the most exciting experience she had ever had.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorceror, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards.)_

 _Dear Ms Potter_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

It was short and to the point. And Ria had to try so hard to contain her squeal of glee. Finally the day had come, and she would be going to Hogwarts in almost exactly one month. She couldn't wait. Gently placing the piece of parchment on top of her pillow she looked down at the second piece, preparing herself to find out what she would need for her first year of schooling. She knew that she had enough money in her trust fund alone to pay for all of her supplies for the following seven years of education, and hopefully longer if the bank her father had mentioned, Gringotts, placed interest upon the funds. Either way, it wasn't as important as finding out what she actually needed.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

 _UNIFORM:_

 _First year students will require:_

 _Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

 _One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

 _One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

 _One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags._

 _COURSE BOOKS:_

 _All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

 _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

 _A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

 _Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

 _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

 _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

 _Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

 _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

 _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

 _OTHER EQUIPMENT:_

 _1 wand_

 _1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

 _1 set of glass or crystal phials_

 _1 telescope_

 _1 set of brass scales._

 _Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl, OR, a cat, OR, a toad._

 _PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_

 _Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions_

Some of the books were the same as the ones her parents had also used, but most of them were different, she supposed that there had been changes in the past twenty years since they had been first years. But she knew that she would have to go to Diagon Alley like her father had wrote about and buy her things. She would work on how she was going to do that after she sorted out how to reply to her Deputy Headmistress. She highly doubted a late reply would get her into any good books.

Thinking hard about it Ria started to pen her letter of reply with her neatest and most careful handwriting on some of her best paper. She had taken it from her aunts fancy stationery set that she used when writing invites for dinner parties to Uncle Vernon's colleagues and bosses.

 _Dear Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,_

 _I would very much so like to accept your invitation of learning at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _However, as my family are muggles and do not agree with the ideals of magic, I find that I may experience trouble with accomplishing this. I would also need help with procuring my school supplies as my family would refuse to allow me this opportunity due to their disdain towards magic. Would it at all be possible to have a guide sent to help me?_

 _Many thanks,_

 _Hana-Hesperia Potter_

With a slight flourish Ria signed of her name at the end and gazed over it with a critical eye before nodding with pride. She had managed to appear cordial and happy with being given the opportunity to learn magic, and at the same time she had been polite. She made a note to herself that when she went to Diagon Alley she would need to pick up some books on proper pureblood etiquette so that she could learn the best way to act and communicate with others. She didn't want to accidentally offend anyone.

Thinking carefully, Ria allowed tendrils of her magic to carefully wrap around and coat the letter she had written. With her thought solely focused on it arriving at Hogwarts, specifically the office of Deputy Headmistress McGonagall, the letter began to fade until it had fully disappeared. It wasn't the first time she had made something disappear like that, and she knew it would make it to where it was supposed to go. With a smile, she looked over her list sent from Hogwarts, and on a second piece of paper began to compile another list of things that she felt she would need when she made it to Hogwarts in September.

She was determined to make her parents, her father in particular proud, and if that meant she had to educate herself on the customs of the Wizarding world, then that was what she would do. It was a good thing that she enjoyed reading, because there was no way she was going to let them down.

* * *

So, this is the second chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm really having fun with this story and delving into Ria's thoughts on magic and life, which will get a lot more exciting as we get further into the story. Huge thanks to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed, it means so much! X

REVIEWS:

StratocasterInTheStratospere – Ravenclaw is definitely and option I promise, and I am leaning that way at the moment so you'll find out in two or three chapters time on the result. X

Lor – Your votes have been taken into account, and I hope you're enjoying it. And I totally agree, way too many Snape fics if you ask me! X

Allison90 – Glad to see you're enjoying this one too haha. I'll be updating Li Mancante by the end of next week, so I hope this will tide you over until then, and I hope you enjoy this story just as much. X

Inquisitek – Cedric is now on the poll, so feel free to go ahead and vote for him if you want to. X

Fuuckofff69 – Glad to see you're enjoying it, and your vote has definitely been counted. X

alexc123 – Not going to lie, I teared up a bit writing it. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I think? Were they happy tears? Or really sad tears? Haha, hope you keep reading! X

TwoWayMirror – I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I completely understand your point of view. Although Ria/Sirius is the most popular option so far, I know for a fact that if another pairing becomes more popular when I start writing then I'm going to give them a really strong father/daughter relationship. Because the relationship between Harry and Sirius was definitely not developed enough I think, so that would become a big focal point. I quite like the idea of George or Fred and Ria together too, it would definitely fit well, especially with the whole Marauder aspect. If Sirius/Ria does win though, I may make an AU story with George and Ria afterwards, just to see the differences in how she would act and how her life would play out. I'm really excited to do that now! Many thanks for the support! X

POLL RESULTS SO FAR:

Sirius Black – 8

George Weasley - 5

Bill Weasley – 4

Charlie Weasley – 4

Blaise Zabini – 4

Theodore Nott – 2

Seamus Finnegan – 2

Fred Weasley – 2

Cedric Diggory – 1

Lee Jordan – 0

Dean Thomas – 0

Feel free to keep on voting, the poll will be open until I decide on when to write the relationship, which seeing as Ria is only a first year, won't be until about third year, possibly fourth! X


	3. The Wait

The scratching and scribbling of a quill against the rough surface of parchment broke through the silence of the small office. A slight crackle could be heard as the fireplace roared and the flames flickers, casting shadows against the walls creating an eerie affect around the room. A Scottish shield hung strong and clear above the stone fireplace directly opposite a large desk made of dark wood. Rolls of parchment were stacked across the desk, each individually tied with a vibrant green tartan ribbon. Sat behind the desk in a tall backed chair was a woman, she was older in age, her face showing clear signs of gentle and graceful aging. Her hair was mainly streaked with a variety of grey shades, the rest, a light shade of faded brown. A pair of silver framed glasses rested upon her nose as she looked down at the multitude of letters that had been dropped off that day by owls from prospective students.

Professor Minerva McGonagall was her name, and as the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry it was up to her to collect and sift through all of the letters sent from the new students planning to start their first year that following September. She had to ensure that each muggle born student had a fellow Professor or a Ministry employee, usually a fellow muggle born, sent to their home to escort them to Diagon Alley after explaining their heritage and the ways of the Wizarding World.

McGonagall was never stressed during the Hogwarts intake time. But this year was different. This year she had been waiting for a reply from a child that she hadn't seen for almost ten years. A child that she had once sat on her knee and told her stories of the Scottish warriors that had once ruled her homeland many years ago. A child that would giggle with excitement every time she would transform into her animagus form of a tabby cat, before gently tugging on her pointy ears. Hana-Hesperia Potter was the daughter of possibly, her two favourite students, James Potter and Lily Potter, nee Evans. As such, she spent a lot of time with the little girl, visiting the family often before they had to go into hiding a year after Ria's birth.

Minerva had been waiting for this moment for years, the chance to finally see Ria again. She couldn't wait to see how much she had grown and evolved, and to see how much she had taken after her parents and in what way. Before taking her to those _people_ Ria had the brightest pair of green eyes and little tufts of dark brown, almost black hair. A brilliant mix of both of her parents. Obviously, Minerva wouldn't be able to show any form of favouritism, but she would be able to watch over her and ensure her safety. Not that she would need to hopefully.

But still, she wondered whether Ria would take after both her parents, and be sorted into Gryffindor. Or would she forge herself a new path and fin d herself a home in a new house. As much as she would be proud of Ria being in any house, she couldn't hide the fact that she hoped for Ria to be in Gryffindor, her house where she could keep a closer eye on her. But she was getting ahead of herself, she hadn't even received a letter of reply from the Dursleys to approve her placement yet. Not that she would let it stop her. If it came down to it, then Minerva herself would be making a special little visit to Surrey where she would be giving them a stern talking to.

Minerva stiffened slightly as she felt a slight tingling around the room, almost like the protective wards that encircled Hogwarts were reacting to something and allowing it entry into the school itself. And that put her on edge. Before she could react, a piece of high quality and expensive paper seemed to float down from out of nowhere and onto the desk. What seemed to be invisible tendrils of magic released the paper and allowed it to settle on the desk. Gazing down at the snow white paper, it looked harmless, but Minerva new that looks could be deceiving. And so she cast a few silent and non-verbal spells upon the paper to check whether there was anything harmful attached to the paper. Nothing showed up, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything harmful about it, it just meant that it wasn't showing up. So she still needed to be careful.

Picking up a quill, she pulled the paper closer and peered down at what she realised was a letter. The penmanship was elegant and delicate, for what she thought was possibly a child. And then her eyes honed in on the signature and she gasped, clasping her hands over her heart. It was from Ria. Going back to the top of the letter she read through it thoroughly, ensuring that each word and every sentence was imprinted into her head.

Hinting at her family's disdain towards magic showed that she had been told of magic, but it hadn't been explained to her and if it had, it hadn't been in a positive light most likely. She needed to be taught magic, and Ria agreed with that. She was reaching out for help to make sure she could gain the chance to study her magic and to push it to limits she had never thought possible for her. And there was no way Minerva McGonagall was going to ever allow for her to not receive that chance. And she knew just what to do. But first, she had to stave off any of Ria's concerns.

With that she flicked her wrist pointedly and allowed a roll of parchment to land carefully in her palm. Grasping her eagle feather quill she dipped the nib into a pot of her signature emerald green ink and hesitated for a second before placing the nib onto the parchment and allowing the words to flow as her hand moved quickly across the parchment, ensuring that her writing was legible for the young girl that she thought of as her granddaughter. In the back of her head as she wrote, she wondered how in the world Ria had managed to almost apparate her letter all the way to Hogwarts without any form of magical training. But that was something she would have to bring up with Albus in their next meeting, whether it be formal or informal. It needed to be discussed.

Allowing the ink to dry for a few minutes she rose from her seat and tied the parchment into a small roll with a coil of her signature tartan ribbon wrapped around it in a delicate bow. As she left her office and headed towards the owlery, she knew exactly who she was going to be sending to Ria the next morning to introduce her to the world of Magic as a whole. And she knew that they wouldn't let her down.

* * *

Ria had been waiting all afternoon for a reply. She had helped her aunt make lunch, and had even begun to prepare for dinner and still hadn't received a reply. She was slightly panicked that the owl would fly into the house during dinner, and she didn't want to have to deal with the consequences of that at all. She had hoped it would arrive in time for her to be able to sneak the reply upstairs without her aunt and uncle realising. She didn't have to worry about Dudley, she could open and read it in front of him, and he still wouldn't have noticed that she was even reading anything, he was too submerged in his television programmes. But her aunt and uncle however, they were more observant, especially when it came to Ria. They had spent the last ten years of her life focusing on every single problem and imperfection they could pick out, aiming to bring her down through her emotions. She wasn't going to let them though, she could hide and mask her emotions very well, and had been doing so for so long.

That was when she saw it. The flutter of tawny wings heading towards the house, and luckily for her, towards her bedroom upstairs. Thankfully, Ria had left her window open in hopes of an owl turning up, she was prepared for the reply, but not knowing when it would turn up had set her on edge. She liked to plan things and she liked to have a schedule. It made doing things that she shouldn't be doing a lot easier and there was less pressure attached.

"Girl, where is the dinner? Your uncle will be home in under ten minutes and you know he likes dinner to be ready for him when he gets in." Aunt Petunia practically screeched as she came into the kitchen and didn't see the plates laid out and ready to be filled.

"They're warming in the oven Aunt Petunia. I didn't want the food to go cold, but it's ready. So I've placed the plates in the oven to warm slightly so that the food stays hot," She explained slightly trying not to sound as exasperated as she felt on the inside. There wasn't much else she could do, her uncle had called to say that he would be slightly later than usual, and as such the dinner could have been spoiled, so there wasn't much she could do to save the food. Petunia knew that she had no other choice, but she still pursed her lips and looked at her niece with distaste.

"Well, it better not be cold or spoiled." Was her last words before she turned and stalked out of the kitchen in her dress and kitten heels, and headed into the living room where she began to fawn over Dudley once again. Rolling her eyes, Ria turned back to the oven and made sure that the temperature was high enough to keep the plated up food hot, without breaking the delicate china plates.

Hearing the door handle rattle slightly, Ria knew that her uncle was home and would be expecting dinner to be on the table. Hurrying slightly she pulled open the oven door and took out the two plates that had the largest potions of the shepherd's pie she had painstakingly made that afternoon, and placed one at the head of the table and the other to the left of it, where Dudley sat. taking out another plate with a smaller and more manageable portion she placed it to the right of where she knew her uncle would sit, opposite of Dudley.

Moving back to the oven she closed the door and began to fill up the sink with warm water and washing liquid so that she could soak the pots and pans, which would make it easier for her to clean later. She didn't want to have to spend ages cleaning up after her family later on, she wanted to be able to go up to her room and read the letter that she _knew_ was from Professor McGonagall. She wanted to know what would be happening with her trip to Diagon Alley, and hopefully that trip would be happening the next morning. She couldn't wait to see her aunt and uncles reactions when they found out that she knew about magic, and would be delving into the world of magic.

"Dinner smells lovely Petunia darling, you must have spent ages making this." Uncle Vernon was talking to her aunt, even though he knew that it was probably Ria that had actually done all the work when it came to making the dinner. He liked to pretend that she didn't exist, and therefore the work that she had clearly done, was considered to be done by Petunia to him.

"Oh, it wasn't that hard dear. You know that I love to cook for our family and provide for us in any way I as a woman can," she simpered, refusing to acknowledge the fact that they both knew she had done none of the cooking that day, or any day really. Petunia was one of those women who believed that it was the husbands' job to provide for the family financially, and the wife's job was to care for the family and the family home. Basically, she expected every woman to be a perfect little housewife, something that Ria did not agree with. She knew that when she was older she would be a career woman. She had intelligence, there was no way she was going to give up the possibility of a high class career to just stay at home and take care of the home. That wasn't what she was made for, and she was prepared to do whatever she had to, to make her dreams come true.

"Dudley, darling. Dinner is ready sweetums, and there's a beautiful dessert sweetie, mummy went and got us a gorgeous chocolate cake with whipped cream for us." Petunia had to coax him out of his chair and even then he seems to be angry as he stormed towards the dinner table, causing tremors to erupt with his every step. As he sat down, the chair creaked in protest and Ria winced slightly, that poor chair.

"Dudley is a growing boy, he needs his sustenance." Uncle Vernon grumbled as he too took his place at the head of the table, Petunia joined him at his side and they proceeded to tuck into the food that Ria had slaved over all afternoon but Petunia had taken credit for.

"Girl, get me a brandy. To think that we let you stay in this house and expect nothing in return, and yet you just stand there and offer nothing." He grumbled under his breath and Petunia hummed in agreement. Ria rolled her eyes and moved towards the tallest cabinet, reaching in she pulled out the glass bottle of brandy and the clean tumbler that sat next to the bottle. She made sure to pour a generous amount into the glass, knowing that her uncle would complain if she was stingy on the pouring. Screwed the top back on the bottle she took the glass over to her uncle at the dinner table and placed it in front of him, receiving only a grumble in response.

Clearly irritated with her presence in the room, Vernon barked at her to leave the kitchen and go up to her room. Only to come back down when they were finished with dinner and she was needed to clean up after them. Heading up the stairs, she made sure to step lightly, knowing that they creaked if you walked too heavy on them, and she didn't want to bring any more attention to herself, knowing that her aunt and uncle would hound her for information if they felt she was hiding something.

Slipping into her room, she headed straight towards the tawny owl that sat perched on top of the battered and broken wardrobe. With a soft smile she let out a light whistle causing the bird to perk up slightly and fly down to meet her as she moved towards the mattress on the floor.

"Hi there feathery one, so have you got something for me?" To some it would seem weird that she was asking an owl a question, but for her, she adored animals and felt like they should be treated humanely and like they actually had a mind of their own. She knew they did, just look at the snakes she spoke to and had conversations with. Letting out a quiet hoot, the owl brushed its beak against her cheek before sticking his leg out towards her.

"Why thank you sweetie," she reached out and gently tugged of the string attaching a roll of parchment to his leg. Pulling the parchment towards her she noted that the roll was held together with a green tartan ribbon that had been tied into a perfect bow.

"Well thank you, are you going to be staying with me so that I can send of a reply?" She asked softly, the owl hooted and moved its head in an upwards movement, nodding to her. Ria smiled and stroked her head before turning her attention back to the letter. Pulling off the ribbon she placed it beside her on the mattress and unfurled the parchment to read it.

 _Dear Miss Hesperia Potter_

 _I'm glad to receive your acceptance to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn and enhance the craft that is known as magic, along with embracing your heritage._

 _Due to the trouble with your remaining family and collecting the supplies you will need for your schooling, I have arranged for a fellow member of staff to collect you tomorrow morning at ten o'clock and take you to Diagon Alley. This member of staff will also be giving you the key to your vault in Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank, as the Headmaster at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore, has been keeping it safe for you under the wishes of your parents._

 _I truly look forward to seeing you on September 3_ _rd_ _and hope that the rest of your summer is well. I'm sure that you will enjoy yourself once you reach Hogwarts, just as much as your parents did during their time._

 _Many thanks,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Ria grinned, she would be able to go to Hogwarts, not that she would have let her aunt and uncle stop her. But now she could go without them even attempting to stop her, she would have the protection of a Hogwarts member of staff when she finally told them that she knew she was a witch and would be going to Hogwarts. Plus, she would now be in charge of her vault key, meaning that she could go ahead and exchange some of her money for muggle pounds. That meant that she could buy herself a new wardrobe to take with her to Hogwarts, it would stop her from looking like a second hand train wreck like she did now in her charity shop clothes. Not that she wasn't thankful for Delia allowing her to work in exchange for the clothes. But for once, she would have clothes that had never been anyone else's, clothes that she had owned first.

She was excited to meet the professor that would be escorting her around Diagon Alley in the morning, and she had a long list of questions to ask them, not just about magic itself but about her history and her parents. She also wanted to gain more knowledge about the multitude of subjects she would be taking when she got to Hogwarts in September. A bit of insider knowledge never hurt anyone, but it did give her the upper edge over everyone else. She was fine with that. To be powerful and influential in the world, you need to have knowledge on everything, at least enough to get you by without looking like you haven't done your research.

For Ria, she knew that if she could get some information from her escort, she could do some extra research to make sure that she understood some of the topics that would be studied throughout the year. And if she already understood the topics then she would have to do less research while she was at Hogwarts, meaning she would have more time to take on some extra research tasks from her professors on her different subjects. Ria knew that would help her in the future if she had knowledge on areas that they weren't taught during class. It would give her the foot up on anyway in the future.

Looking through her father's notebooks had already given her so many extra topic ideas, and Ria knew that no matter what, she would most definitely be looking into the idea of transitioning into an animagus as soon as she was able to handle the transformation. She knew it would take a few more years, but she could complete some extensive research during that time. The topic of animagi fascinated her and she knew that it would keep her attention for a long time, and it would also make her feel closer to her father at the same time. But she had also had her attention grabbed by the above N.E.W.T level topic of spell creation. Her mother had kept a small diary on the subject. She had started to learn about it once she had left Hogwarts, and had clearly found it interesting as she had referenced multiple books on the subject, books that Ria had every intention of ordering once she reached Hogwarts.

In the end, once Ria reached Hogwarts, there would be nobody left to hold her back from achieving the level of academic achievement she knew that she was able to reach. She had always been forced to hold back her academic prowess by the Dursleys. They couldn't have it be common knowledge that she was smarter than their precious son who could barely think for himself let alone apply his thoughts to questions. Ria hated being forced to hold back her knowledge more than she hated having to live with the Dursleys and serving them. She used to have nightmares about her ability to think and apply her wide range of knowledge to practical situations being stunted. That was before she was old enough to teach herself what she felt was important. When she made it to Hogwarts, she would be able to release the _real_ Ria for the world to see.

A slight nudge against her hand brought Ria out of her thoughts, looking down she noticed the tawny owl that had delivered the letter was waiting patiently for her to write out a reply for him to return.

"Sorry, I was in my own little world, let me just write out a quick reply and then you can fly off and have some freedom. How's that sound to you?" She asked moving over to the wardrobe and pulling out a small cardboard box that held a collection of expensive stationary she had collected and been given by Delia at some point. To her, this was what she treasured the most in the world alongside her father's journals and textbooks. Picking out a thick page of bright white paper and a black ink filled fountain pen she settled down on her mattress and rested the paper on her father's journal to help ensure her writing was steady and neat.

 _Professor McGonagall,_

 _Thank you very much for ensuring that I have an escort to take me to Diagon Alley to collect my school supplies, I truly appreciate this gesture._

 _I hope that the professor you have chosen is not put out with having to take time off to escort me on this trip, as I do not want to cause any problems between the staff._

 _I too am excited to meet you and become part of the life at Hogwarts._

 _Thank you for all of your help,_

 _Ria Potter_

Double checking her spelling and grammar, and making sure that the whole letter looked complete and neat, she hesitantly folded the paper and slipped it inside of a crisp white envelope that she used her calligraphy training to write _Deputy Headmistress_ upon the front, knowing that first impressions meant everything when it came down to it. Reaching deeper into the cardboard box she pulled out a roll of light green ribbon that she had found in a craft store on sale. It was an almost identical match to the colour of her eyes, and as such she had scraped together some money doing odd jobs around the town to help pay for it and some other pieces of stationery. Cutting off a long enough piece she tied it around the envelope and around the owls foot, making sure that it looked and felt comfortable for the owl. She didn't want it to be in pain, the poor thing had to travel a long way to Hogwarts just to drop of that one letter.

"There you go sweetie, if you could take this to Professor McGonagall for me I'd be ever so thankful. But don't you rush yourself, you can take as much time as you need." She murmured to the beautiful owl as she placed a gentle kiss upon its head before moving away, allowing it to take flight and swoop out of the open window and into the sky. Ria watched as it flew higher and farther away before slowly fading into the distance. And that's when she was taken out of her thoughts by an angry bellow.

"Girl! Where are you? This table should have been cleaned off minutes ago, and to think that we provide for you!" Uncle Vernon roared from the bottom of the stairs causing Ria to jump slightly in surprise. She had completely forgotten about having to clean of the table, but she had been so immersed in her thoughts of finally going to Hogwarts, and that was not a good thing. She knew that her uncle could get angry when it came down to her not completing her chores, especially when he had been drinking, and she knew that he had probably had more to drink than the one glass she had poured for him earlier.

"I'm coming uncle Vernon, I was cleaning the bathroom, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." She hurried out the apology and thinking up an excuse quickly, knowing that it would pull through as she had cleaned the bathroom the day before and it hadn't been messed up as of yet.

"Well, hurry up and clean this mess up and then go back upstairs. I don't want to have to see you again this evening." He was still clearly angry, but the thought of Ria cleaning and not just lazing around clearly made him feel slightly less angry. Knowing that it had been a close call Ria nodded her head before staring at the ground as she ducked around him and into the kitchen, shying away from the angry and disapproving look on her aunts face. Stacking up the dishes she placed them in the sink and started to scrub away at the dishes that had been soaking for a while in the hot soapy water.

As she scrubbed away at the dishes she ignored the fact that her relatives were discussing her loudly and using less than polite terms while doing so. She was used to it already, the angry out loud thinking about her had been happening ever since she had arrived at the Dursley household. Ria didn't think she had ever heard a positive word from any of her relatives, and that included her 'Great Aunt' Marge.

It was a known fact that they had always wished she had been dumped on someone else's doorstep, and she could swear that when she was five she had heard her uncle trying to persuade her aunt into dropping her off at an orphanage far away from Privet Drive. Her aunt however had some form of common sense, as she had refused, telling him that 'they' would find her and take it out on them. Back then she hadn't known who 'they' were, but now she knew that her aunt had been talking about the Wizarding world.

"Why are you so happy? You're going to that all girl school in September, I get to go to dads private school, they only accept the best of the best." Came a slow voice from behind her. She knew that Dudley spoke slowly because he could barely articulate his words, so he had to slow it down so that he could understand himself. It made Ria shudder to think that one day he could possibly be running a business as Vernon had decided that Grunning's would take him on as an 'apprentice' when he finished school. Meaning that he would be given a job that involved doing barely anything with him earning enough money that he didn't have to want for anything.

"No Dudley, I didn't realise that they took in the best of the best. I'm sorry, I should have totally guessed that when they accepted you because of the money your dad gave them." She drawled with a slightly sarcastic tone to her voice, portraying the image that she didn't really care. Which was true. But she was slightly intrigued as to why her aunt and uncle actually thought she would be going to that school for girls, surely they knew that a letter from Hogwarts would be arriving, so why were they planning for her to go elsewhere? Not that it mattered in the end, because she was going to Hogwarts. And there was nothing that they could do to stop that from happening. Clearly Dudley didn't understand what she was talking about, as he stared at her with a blank expression before waddling out of the room and back into the living room where his television programme had been paused for him.

Tomorrow she would be going to the social hub of the British Wizarding World, Diagon Alley. She would finally be given the chance to look at her trust fund and see what her parents had left her in the term of heirlooms. She knew that she had been left a large amount of money, but she was more interested in the possible heirlooms and artefacts that she may have been left by her father. She knew that coming from one of the most pure blood family's in Britain there had to be some heirlooms left to her. Something that would give her some insight into her ancestry and her family.

Not only that, she would be able to observe what was available in the market and where the gaps were for other ideas. To her it was an appraisal of what she could offer to the Wizarding world once she had completed her training and schooling at Hogwarts. She knew that when she was buying her books she would be picking up a few extras to help her fit in with the Wizarding world better, she knew that at some point in the future, her muggle upbringing would put her at a disadvantage. So the more she researched into the pureblood ways, the more likely she would fit in with the other purebloods. She would never allow herself to be thought of as ignorant to her ancestry and the history of the magical community.

In the end, a lot of things would be expected of Ria when it came down to her personality and her magical ability. But no one could control her. So while she would be aiming higher than any of their expectations, no one would be telling her how to live her life as that was completely under her control and up to her. She would do what she felt she needed to, for her to get the life she wanted and deserved after all these years with the Dursleys. It was her life, and she would do what she needed to do to make it the life she had always dreamed of.

* * *

Tada! So this was supposed to be a chapter all about Ria and her trip to Diagon Alley and clearly that didn't happen, but I felt that it was getting a bit long so I've decided to split it up and do the Diagon Alley part in the next Chapter. I did feel that in some parts it may have been a bit bland but I hope you all still enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next chapter. And I'm sorry for the long wait! X

Review Replies:

Cathy – I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I'm partial towards Ravenclaw now too, I feel like everyone puts a female Harry in either Gryffindor or Slytherin, and she could really change a lot of people's opinions on what Ravenclaw is about. Everyone seems to think they're stuck up over their knowledge, but she could use it to help create some awesome pranking ideas. And the idea of dragon bonding sounds absolutely adorable! It would be so cute! Hope you enjoy what I've got for you! X

AKO – I hope this has met you're expectations, and I really hope you continue to read and support this story! X

ShadowMystic56 – I've put the option up for both of the twins to be a pairing now in the poll. X

Littlest1 – Thank you for reading this and I'm glad that you've enjoyed this, and I hope you enjoyed this Chapter and any changes I've made. X

Tomnomlinson – Thank you for your support, and I hope you've enjoyed this Chapter too, and I'm sorry for the long wait. X

Darth Queidus – Completely agree, she does deserve the extraordinary, so I've added the Fred/Ria/George paring too. X

SakuraKoi – I'm glad you've been enjoying it, and I hope this Chapter meets you're expectations! X

The Poll Results So Far:

George Weasley – 9

Bill Weasley – 8

Sirius Black – 8

Charlie Weasley – 5

Blaise Zabini – 5

Fred Weasley – 3

Fred AND George Weasley – 2

Theodore Nott – 2

Seamus Finnegan – 2

Cedric Diggory – 1

( Oh yeah, I added the option of Ria being paired with both of the Twins ;) )

Please Review, it really helps me to see what you all think. I'd love to get some feedback from you all! X


	4. AN

Hi guys!

I'm really sorry about the long wait for chapters on all of my fics. At the moment I'm stuck in a bit of a situation, my brother borrowed the family laptop, which is also the only laptop my family has, and somehow managed to contract a virus and wipe the whole thing, all of my writing is gone along with all of the programs and software.

I was honestly fuming, I had just finished writing almost 10,000 words worth of chapters for each of my fanfictions for me to upload over the weeks and it was all gone, along with all of my college work. And then, to top it all of, my phone has decided to no longer work so I can't even access anything through that, I'm writing this message on my friends computer that I've managed to borrow for an hour.

So, what I plan to do is at the moment spend the next few weeks/months handwriting those chapters that have been wiped from the laptop and typing them up when I get my own laptop. I'll also be spending the time writing some prompt responses and working on some new fanfictions. Feel free to PM me or review with any suggestions for what you want to see in either my fics, or in new fics, including one shots and I'll happily work on some of them. I'm happy to take prompts/ideas for any fandom listed on my bio or PM me with any not on there and I'll let you know.

Also, I'm looking for some suggestions as to what brand of laptop I should be looking for, I'm not very good with technology and stuff, so any help would be amazing. Phone suggestions would be helpful too! Hopefully I should be able to start uploading regularly from August/September at the latest when I'll be heading of to university.

Thanks you all so much, and lots of love to all of you for your continued support and reviews/favourites/followed.

Lettice X


	5. I'M BACK

I'M BACK!

HI GUYS I'M SORRY FOR BEING AWAY FOR SO LONG BUT I HAVE GOOD NEWS!

AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE I AM NOW ABLE TO START UPDATING AGAIN, THIS IS BECAUSE I'VE GONE AND GOT MYSELF A NEW LAPTOP (THIS ONE IS MINE AND NOT A FAMILY LAPTOP TOO, SO MY BROTHER CAN'T TOUCH IT)! IN FACT, I ONLY GOT THIS LAPTOP TODAY AND SET IT UP ALMOST AN HOUR AGO, SO YOU GUYS ARE CLEARLY MY NUMBER ONE PRORITY.

ALSO, AS OF THE 23RD OF SEPTEMBER, I AM OFFICAILLY A UNIVERSITY STUDENT! WHOOP WHOOP! I HAVE STARTED UNIVERSITY, AND I INFACT HAD MY FIRST LECTURE AND SEMINAR TODAY WHICH WAS SUPER INTERESTING AND I CAN'T WAIT TO REALLY GET STUCK INTO MY COURSE. I'M DOING CRIMINOLOGY BY THE WAY AND THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE IS AMAZING!

I HAVE 9 SUPER COOL HOUSE MATES AND WE ALL GET ALONG AMAZINGLY, I CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE WITH YOU GUYS, SO IM SURE YOULL ALL FIND OUT SOON ABOUT THE NEW GOINGS ON IN MY LIFE, NOTHING EXCITING I SUPPOSE .

ANYWAY, I CAN'T WAIT TO FINNALY UPLOAD AGAIN, I'VE GOT SOME CONTENT AND CHAPETER BITS HANDWRITTEN BUT NOT A LOT, HOWEVER IM HOPING TO UPLOAD SOMETHING NEW ON ALL MY FICS BY FRIDAY IF POSSIBLE?! WHO KNOWS REALLY, BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE ME SUGGESTIONS FOR FICS AND EVEN ONE SHOTS, IVE STRTED A COUPLE OF THOSE IN MY FREE TIME TOO AND I LOVE TO HEAR FROM ALL MY READERS/REVIEWERS.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL,

QUEENREEDUS

X


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